


Enigmatic

by atriusasper



Category: Puyo Puyo (Video Games), Trine (Video Game)
Genre: Crossover, Friendship, Gen, I have no idea what tags to use, a few madou references, but when it happens it HAPPENS, very little angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-25 19:54:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30094272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atriusasper/pseuds/atriusasper
Summary: A young god and a mage stumble upon a boy from a place they've never seen before. The journey that discovery takes them on is completely alien to the both of them, but when you're trying to escape someone, anything is welcome.
Kudos: 6





	1. Prologue - Escape

**Author's Note:**

> My first proper fic! I've never really used AO3 before, and posting to places in general is a very stressful thing, but I've finally been able to work it out. There's no set schedule, since I don't want to stress myself out, and I'll just be posting the chapters I have as I finish them.

For the first time in… forever, as far as Squares was concerned, everything was finally quiet again. After seeing so many worlds teeming with life, this place on the edge of the world was… dead. Not a hint of life besides the two watching over it. Ex, Ecolo, and the Dark Prince had taken their leave, leaving him finally alone. Now all he had to do was progress. It can’t be that hard, can it? There were just some obstacles. There were always some obstacles; he knew that now. And yet, there had to be someone who could support him. Maybe Marle could-

A quiet voice from his side finally broke the silence. “Squares… are you okay?” Marle. Of course it was Marle. One half of the Will of the Worlds couldn’t hide his resentment for the other. Was he supposed to just move past it? She didn’t teach him, maybe if she had just talked to him more, none of this would have happened- _Breathe._

Squares managed to answer. “I’m alright, Marle.” His gaze, however, was averted from his creator. He couldn’t look her in the eye after everything that had gone on.

“I know you’re thinking about something, Squares. You can tell me.”

“After everything I did? Why do you still care?”

“I told you… there isn’t really an explanation. But of course I care about you, I created you!”

“You created me to be a friend to you, didn’t you? Well…” Squares sighed, wincing as he next spoke. “I need to find who I am. I was so obsessed with you that I’m not even sure of myself. I need some time.”

Marle seemed to expect a lot of things, but that was not one of them. Her shock seemed to permeate the entire place. “Squares! You need to stay here! You’re going to leave me alone again, I created you to do… the exact opposite of that!”

“We agreed to travel through the worlds, Marle. You need to have some patience with me. You can find company in other worlds while I… find myself. I can’t be attached to your side all the time.”

Marle’s voice immediately got colder. “Why are you blaming me for something you did, Squares? You’re the one who almost erased them entirely. I’m the one that stopped you.”

Squares looked back at her, his expression laden with pain and one hand clutched over his head. He couldn’t keep himself steady anymore, his hands were shaking at this point, he was trembling, Marle was supposed to help him… but she was right. Those actions had still been his, no matter how much his regret consumed him.

“You didn’t have to do any of that.” Marle scowled. “And now look at yourself.” She was irrevocably calm throughout all of that, her hands still cupped together in front of her as she cheerily spoke next. “Don’t worry! I’ll just have to keep you a bit closer!”

Squares collapsed on the ground, only managing to catch himself with one arm to keep himself from fainting entirely again. He was still hyperventilating at this point, but managed to calm his breathing before something else happened.

Marle approached and placed one hand on his shoulder. The surprise sent him reeling back in an instant. His abilities, however limited they were, had helped him form a small sword in one hand- for self-defense, of course, in case his creator had decided to attack him. Miscommunication worked just the same, and even just with that slight touch, Squares instinctively slashed his newly formed blade into Marle.

He had slashed open her cheek, a deep wound forming just below her left eye. Marle reeled back and clutched her face. She managed to gasp before the pain set in. The guilt quickly managed to overwhelm Squares, and in an instant, he was gone. He needed to find someone.

\---

“...I need your help, Ex.” The locale had finally changed. Squares was sitting just across from Ex in the other’s own domain, fidgeting relentlessly with his hands and having some hope that Ex would understand what was going on. He had managed to explain, conveniently leaving out the part where he wounded Marle, but from how Ex responded, he could tell Ex knew something had gone wrong. Squares was just looking out into the space beyond. This place was… beautiful, but there wasn’t any time to just sit and take in the view. Of course, that didn’t stop Squares from looking out into space-time from an angle he wasn’t yet familiar with. He was always fond of being here. The first word he heard from Ex in return- especially after what he had done- didn’t seem too promising.

“Alright.” Ex pondered for a moment. “I think I understand. So… you want to do some soul searching, find yourself. But Marle won’t let you leave? In fact, I think she knows we’re here.” Ex seemed to get an idea, though, and both of the dimensional beings at the ‘table’ seemed to light up at once.

“I think I know what to do, okay? Marle knows where you are at all times, so… it’s sort of like a scent.” Ex explained, gesturing wildly to the cosmos around them. “We have to sort of cloak you somehow, so Marle can’t find you. That way she can’t follow you. Hate to say it, but someone like Ecolo might be our best bet.”

“Someone call for meeee, Ex?”

“Speak of the devil…” Ex grimaced but turned his attention to Ecolo, the Wanderer, to his sudden right. “Yeah. We need to hide Squares here from Marle. Give him room to breathe.”

“I was right. You ARE overprotective~!” Ecolo let out a wild laugh. “Oh come on Ex, don’t look at me like that.” Squares glanced over for just a second- he didn’t really look at Ecolo, for obvious reasons- but he could tell that Ex’s ‘disappointed dad’ expression had finally come out in full force. Even Ecolo backed down upon seeing that one.

Ex extended his hand out to Ecolo, and the Wanderer relented. “What a buzzkill.” Ecolo huffed, but soon placed a strange looking golden brooch into Ex’s open palm. The Keeper gave it a bit of a once-over, running one finger along the smooth metal, before passing the artifact along to Squares.

“This should be able to keep you relatively hidden. It contains a fragment of demonic magic, about… there,” Ex motioned to a glowing red jewel in the middle of the circular brooch. “Demons are often able to hide their presence even from the most powerful people, so wearing it should sort of… muddle your presence.” He turned to Ecolo, then, who was ducked behind a floating rock with the most malicious smile known to man. “How did you get a hold of this anyway, Ecolo?”

"Let’s just say I know about one demon in particular. Klug won’t even know it’s gone!” Ecolo giggled for a moment before covering his mouth with one hand and uttering another sarcastic remark. “Oh, did I reveal too much?~” Only then did Ex manage to put two and two together, and just… sighed.

“Hey, and Stairs-”

“Squares.” Squares replied. “This is the second time.”

“Yeah, Stairs, there’s an anomaly in the Puyo world at the moment. Maybe take a look at that before you leave, huh? A trip down memory lane?”

“What did you _do_?"

“Nothing this time, that weird kid just kinda appeared! He’s not from anywhere I’ve been before.” Ecolo positioned himself in an exaggeratedly pensive pose, including one hand on his chin. “Well, I’m off. Buh-bye!” And before either of the two others could react, Ecolo had disappeared off to who-knows-where.

Squares blinked and glanced over to Ex, who gave him a nod in return. “I think that’s it. Ecolo is a handful and a half, but we got what we needed.” While Ex was talking, Squares had quietly pinned the golden brooch to his jacket, and similarly to what Ex had done, ran his thumb along the metal. His finger stopped at the jewel, and he turned to Ex.

“Thanks, Ex. I’m surprised you’re actually keeping your word, you know. If I’m able to, I’ll come back and visit you.”

“And I’ll be waiting for that time.” Ex put one hand on Squares’ shoulder. “You should go. I think Marle’s figured us out. I’ll handle her.”

Squares nodded, but didn’t immediately vanish like Ecolo had moments before. He turned to Ex and finally admitted what he assumed Ex had been able to figure out from his shifting expressions. “Ex. I hurt her. I didn’t mean to, really, it just… she startled me and I lashed out.”

Ex’s eyes widened as Squares tightened gripped his own arm, his expression ridden with guilt and pain. Ex breathed out and responded. “I know something happened. And I wasn’t there. What I do know, though, is that you’re growing.”

“Ex, I got violent again. I’m not improving if I keep getting this violent.”

“It was a mistake, wasn’t it? And you feel guilty for doing it? I’d say that’s growth.”

Squares didn’t get a chance to respond before Ex embraced him. Squares hadn’t even realized he had started to tear up, but when he did, he seemed to melt into Ex’s embrace in kind.  
“Thank you, Ex.”

“Always. I’ll be here if you need me."

\---

In the woods in the middle of the night… a surprisingly new experience for Squares. He stood there for a minute to take in the sights and sounds of the quiet night. However, what happened seconds later suddenly snapped him out of his wonder.

“Stop right there!” He heard someone yell in the distance. That voice sounded... familiar. Squares only really had time to blink before another humanoid shape ran past him, managing to hit the left half of his body pretty hard. Knocked to the ground within half a minute of showing up in the Puyo world again. Good start. 

As Squares collected himself, the voice he had heard finally made an appearance. A swordsman with armor and cape- Schezo, he remembered. He didn’t have a chance to speak before Schezo began to talk. “Have you seen a young boy run through these trees? If you have, which direction did he go?”

Squares seemed confused, but answered. “I think he was the one that knocked me over. I’m… still winded from that.”

“I shall find this boy and take what’s inside him!” Schezo triumphantly announced, much to Squares’ confusion.

“How do I even respond to that?”

Schezo met Squares’ eyes, and seeing the latter’s confusion, suddenly covered his mouth with a stunned yelp. “My mistake. He simply has… a power I have never seen before.”

“Are you looking for him, then?”

“In fact, I am.”

The two stared wordlessly at each other for quite some time. Squares finally responded with a hint of embarrassment, unable to meet Schezo’s eyes. This was what he was looking for. A little adventure before he finally disappeared from this place altogether. He’d be able to get to the bottom of the anomaly and maybe make some new memories…

“I’d like to come with you.”

“What?! You aren’t scared of me? Or calling me a creeper for that matter...” Schezo muttered that last part under his breath.

“...No? You’re alright.”

Schezo seemed to light up for a moment before returning to his neutral expression, coughing, then taking in a breath. He noticed his new companion was trembling for some reason, and looked up at him with one eyebrow raised. “Are you cold?”

“...What?” Squares stared at Schezo yet again.

“You’re shaking.” Schezo pointed his sword at Squares, who quickly jumped back, but then managed to notice he was, in fact, still shaking.

“I guess I am cold.” Squares didn’t really even seem to understand the sensation, but he couldn’t tell if he was still in shock or if the temperature had done something to him.

Schezo thought for a moment. “Ha! I have the answer!” The dark mage quickly yet gracefully removed his cape from his shoulders and draped it over Squares, much to the latter’s surprise. “I am used to the cold.” Schezo exclaimed confidently. He was not used to the cold.

Squares softly laughed at seeing Schezo start to shiver himself, and offered it back. “Here. I think you need it more than I do.”

Schezo’s face went bright red as he took back his garment and slipped it on, muttering quietly to himself. He quickly recovered, however, and pointed his sword towards where they last saw the boy. “Well, then. Onward!”


	2. Encounter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The other chapter I had prepared before posting. A bit more angst in this one. Not constant! Just for now... soon enough, things will pick up.

Schezo had finally found a suitable cave to make his home in. Filled with magical energy and crystals, the dark mage had finally managed to relax for a few days. Every once in a while, an intruder had come through, but he managed to fend them off with Puyo battles just the same. Tonight, however, was much different.

Schezo managed to lose himself in thought while he rested in the middle of the cavern, legs crossed and one hand gently resting atop the gray stone. He felt like he had been missing something important recently. His sense of adventure had been lost- after all, he had finally found a nice place to make his home and settle down. However, it wasn’t quite right. The place was empty. Too empty to fill with anything he could ever find. Something nagged at the mage, a sense that he didn’t really belong here.

The soft sounds of water dripping from the cavern’s stalactites had been something Schezo had been able to fall asleep to. The sound of footsteps, however, put him on alert. He exhaustedly drew his sword- enough intruders had come by for a _lifetime_ , he thought- but it utterly confused him when someone in front of him appeared that he had never seen before. Schezo immediately went on alert when he saw the young boy that was in the middle of his cave.

“Why are you here?” Schezo exhaled sharply with a sense of exasperation. “I’ve had enough people in my home! I don’t need another exposing themselves here and never leaving.”

The boy looked up at the mage, tilting his head to the side for a little bit before scowling. “I’m running away. Who sent you after me?” He was wearing a lot of blue and black, with a jeweled sash across one of his shoulders. His clothing looked silken, which Schezo notes was often only used for royalty.

Schezo stopped in his tracks upon hearing that and took a moment to look him over a bit more. Wait… this boy also used dark magic? How? “You!” Schezo pointed his sword triumphantly. “You’re a dark mage! I must have you!”

The boy looked back at him and grimaced. “You haven’t even introduced yourself yet. I’m Selius.” Selius glared at Schezo, yet met his eyes all at once. Schezo managed to notice a small golden necklace on Selius’ neck, which the latter seemed to hold close.

“I must have that power of yours! You may call me Schezo, yet you will know me as the one who dominated you this night.” Schezo turned up his head, smirking and slashing his sword through the air, a whizzing sound cutting the breeze, as a display. “Puyo Puyo battle!”

“Puyo… Puyo?” The boy scowled, as if he had no idea what Puyo Puyo actually was. Schezo laughed for just a moment, beginning a sarcastic scolding… before something very cold hit him in the shoulder. And it happened again. And again.

Schezo yelped in surprise- that _child_ was just hitting him with a barrage of ice magic! It had to have taken the boy decades to learn that, and yet, he barely looked like he was of age. It was too late to contemplate the ramifications of that, however, as the dark mage was hit with a barrage of ice shards directly into his shoulder. He had to retaliate. Schezo slashed at the ice shards as they flew at him, either cutting them clean through or diverting them away from his armor. Selius widened his eyes at Schezo’s finesse, and took a few steps backwards as the mage threw out his hand. Shadowy magic erupted from it, quickly coalescing into projectiles that flung themselves forward. Schezo was winning again.

It all happened so fast. Schezo felt something stab him through the chest- had he been impaled?- and fell to the ground before he could attack further. Blood was rushing through him, adrenaline pumping to keep him awake and alive. Through his blurring vision, he had seen a piercing beam of magic erupt from his enemy’s hand and hit him nearly point-blank. He was alive. Just in pain.  
When he finally recovered, sitting against a cavern wall, Schezo had a moment to contemplate. He moved one hand over his chest where the shadowy beam had hit him. Still intact. Just cold. He was winded, though, like the dark magic Selius had held had sapped him of some of his energy. If it had stayed focused on him… no. Schezo had to find this boy again and claim the magic that had wounded him. This was exactly what he wanted. The boy was too volatile to keep holding onto that power, and that was exactly what Schezo needed. Now to find him… he just had to start walking.

\---

“And that is about what happened.” Schezo explained to Squares, who was now walking alongside him through the woods at midnight. While Schezo had conveniently left out the gravity of the wounds that he had sustained, the concerned expression from his companion said plenty. Squares opened his mouth to speak, but stopped- he didn't have anything to say yet. That moment finally came when Schezo’s legs suddenly went out from under him and the mage barely managed to catch himself against a tree.

“...No, you're hurt.” Squares dug his heels into the dirt, noticing Schezo’s arm as he moved it to his side. Schezo was moving slowly and delicately… and once he stopped, the abrupt turn told Squares that the swordsman was either hurting or caught off guard, resulting in a wince. Assuming it was the former, Squares helped Schezo to the ground- he winced again- but Squares stood by Schezo for a moment to keep him from falling, then sat down across from him. “That boy can't make it too far. There's no way you’ll be able to chase anyone in that condition.”

Schezo cut Squares off in surprise, managing to mangle his words even more as he tripped up and stuttered speaking. “I-I’m not hurt!” However, he didn't argue and stayed down against the tree, breathing heavily and slowly as the strange man moved one hand in a fluid motion. Leaves and sticks scattered on the dirt around them quickly coalesced into the shape of a small campfire. Squares looked expectantly at Schezo afterward; his eyes darted to Schezo and down to the makeshift campfire.

Schezo laid there in stunned silence for a moment before letting out a huff. “I didn’t think you to be the mage type…”

“I thought a dark mage like you would at least know some type of fire spell, no?” Squares chuckled a bit, covering his mouth with one hand as he did so. Schezo quickly flustered.

“You _don’t_?!” Schezo barked out quickly, not even comprehending what he was saying. “You did _that_ without even trying! You don’t know a flame spell?”

Squares blinked. “Not really. I’ve never used one, or even really seen one.” He explained, subconsciously moving some leaves around in the air as he gestured with one hand. “It’s… hard to explain.”

Schezo sighed and drew a small sigil in the air with one finger, sending a few embers into the pile and lighting the controlled little campfire. At that, Squares contentedly sighed and fueled the fire.  
“Is your shoulder okay?” Schezo was jolted out of his tired trance as Squares asked that question. “You said you got hit in the shoulder. Those ice shards were probably sharp. I can look.”

“No, no, I can handle myself.” Schezo weakly pulled his shoulder away from Squares, who had moved a bit closer by then. “I didn’t think anyone would care so much about my injuries, especially a stranger like you.” Schezo narrowed his eyes, a scowl forming quickly as the mage moved one hand to the hilt of his sword.

“Whatever you say.” Squares rolled his eyes with a smile as he sat back where he was before, across from the campfire. “And… this is hard to explain, Schezo, but I’ve done some horrible things. I’m trying to atone, and caring for your wounds is at least a way to start.” Squares’ shoulders relaxed a bit as Schezo’s hand finally moved away from the sword, the tense twitching finally calming somewhat.

“Did we ever introduce ourselves?” Schezo looked startled. “We didn’t, but you knew my name. How?”

“You said your own name when you… re-enacted your story. I’m Squares, by the way.”  
“...Oh.” Schezo was right back to being flushed. “You already know my name, but I might as well. I am Schezo, the dark mage.”

“An interesting title.”

Both mages at the campfire stared at each other before a second before one finally piped up again. “I think we should rest.” Squares softly spoke. “Your shoulder,” Schezo grimaced as he said that, “-should heal a bit overnight.”

“...Alright.” Schezo begrudgingly agreed, sitting down in front of a tree after moving to a better position, making himself just a bit more comfortable. “At dawn, then, we proceed.” He saw Squares nod before finally dozing off. Trust was somehow hard to come by, but Schezo had finally found one of the strangest people to place it in. Of course, he hadn't revealed much to this anomaly yet. It's hard to know when trust is misplaced.

\---

“Schezo.” A quiet voice. One the mage couldn’t exactly pinpoint the source of. He was… alone, somewhere he couldn’t recognize, yet it filled him with dread. That voice managed to send chills down his spine through some vague familiarity he hadn’t quite been able to remember yet. It was whispering. “Come to me.”

As Schezo slowly rose onto his feet, his sword comfortably at his side and used as a bit of a crutch for that last push, the area he was trapped in started to form around him. Pale white stone walls, seeming to warp and change with even the slightest movement. Schezo’s gaze darted back and forth through the stone cage in a simple attempt to find the source of the haunting voice. No way in or out. While the room was somewhat cramped and simple, a dark fog clung to the walls and kept Schezo from being able to see all that much in front of him. Feeling this feeble and powerless was, well, scary. He hadn’t felt this way since…

Since he could only see three of the walls, Schezo concluded there had to be a bit more ahead of him and slowly began to walk forward. No, he remembered something like this, but no way in Puyo hell would he ever go back to it. This seemed familiar, but he had repressed it for so long that it was difficult to find those memories again. But perhaps that was for the better. It was harder to breathe now, the fog almost suffocating him, but Schezo pushed forward. There was no way he was going to fold now.

The end of the hallway finally came a few minutes later. Schezo was barely able to stand at this point, and a dull pain had started to build in his head as he continued to walk. What he saw at the end of the hallway, however, caused all the color to drain from his face in an instant. This was what he had been pushing back in his mind for years, trying to overcome, trying to change. And yet it had come back to haunt him.

A mirror. _That_ mirror. Schezo’s arm fell to his side in shock before he picked up on something else he could see in his reflection… if it had been there before, it was so faded that it would have been invisible by now. And yet, it remained. A thick, dull scar straight across Schezo’s neck. As quickly as his hand had fallen, it went back up to trace the path of the scar- nearly all the way around his neck, but definitely the deepest right there. Why was that there? The memories of that experience came… unfortunately, flooding back, and Schezo fell to his knees in front of the mirror. The impact was thankfully lessened by his armor, although admittedly, it still stung.

“Is this what you wanted?” Oh. As soon as those first memories returned to him, Schezo’s anguish turned to anger. His sword had never left his hand, and in the presence of the person who had ruined him, it stayed firmly gripped in both of the mage’s hands. In a flash, he turned to face his corruptor, eyes filled with both tears and pure hate. All he got in response was a smirk.

\---

Schezo jolted awake. He had to take a few seconds to glance around the woods and make sure that that was most definitely only a dream- those horrifying experiences coming back to him so suddenly was… jarring, to say the least. After a minute or two, Schezo mustered a sigh as he loosened up. It was okay. He was fine. It had all been a dream. Although… there was another thing he had to look at. Just to be sure.

Schezo lifted his sword from the ground beside him and held it in front of him, inspecting himself through the reflection of the blade. From what he could see, at least, the gash in his neck was no longer anywhere to be found, and the remnant scars had all but vanished. The only thing left was just a tiny diagonal slit, turned a darker color with time. That was relieving. The woods were still dark, the dawn still hours away, and the crickets chirping finally allowing Schezo to relax again. His shoulder had recovered somewhat. As Schezo leaned back into the tree behind him, something else caught his eye- Squares didn’t seem to be sleeping well either. He could see the other shivering, and every now and then, he saw a wince. Even with that in front of him, it only took a minute longer for Schezo to doze off once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had less of an idea where this one was going but I'm happy with how it turned out. Chapter 2 is likely going to be a lot bigger than I anticipated, which means it'll take me longer to finish. It's going in a good direction so far, though!


End file.
